PTUK has, in the past six years led the
way in setting standards to ensure high quality of
care when play therapy, therapeutic play skills and creative arts
therapies are used with children to improve emotional literacy and
alleviate behaviour and mental health problems.
There has been a major
revision in 2006 with additions to the Competency Framework, the
inclusion of Filial Play and the application of a four stage model of
evaluation based on Kirkpatrick principles. (‘Play for Life’ journal
Autumn/Winter 2006 edition).
The context of play
therapy standards is shown in PTUK’s Play Therapy Practice Systemic
View diagram. This is the basis of PTUK and PTI's’s approach to
standards providing an overall architecture. It guards against a
piecemeal approach being taken.
Safe and effective practice
requires high standards of training based on competencies from which
learning objectives are derived. The learning objectives are attained
through a life-long learning process. The effectiveness of the learning
process is evaluated at four levels: reaction, learning, behaviour and
results.
Safe and effective practice
also requires an appropriate environment for practice and the
practitioner needs to have suitable
personal qualities.
Safe and effective practice
must be based on the needs of the children, the parent/carers and the
commissioning organisation or agency. It is constrained by statutory
requirements and legal and ethical considerations.
The practitioner is
supported and monitored by clinical supervision, a professional
infrastructure (provided by PTI) and clinical governance. Clinical
governance provides practice based evidence to the evidence base which
is also fed by original research. The evidence base contributes to the
development and refinement of competencies.
The three main areas of standards are:
|
|
To
protect the children, their carers and the practitioners. |
|
|
To provide a coherent structure
for the development of the profession including education and
training standards based on a competency framework. |
|
|
To
manage the quality of therapeutic work and continuing professional
development. The Play Therapy
Dimensions Model , introduced in 2005 is a recommended therapy
decision taking method. |
These standards, which are
continually reviewed, are based upon the needs of clients - the
children, those who are responsible for them - parents and carers,
referrers - teachers, nurses, social workers, doctors etc and those that
commission therapeutic services. The standards are produced
through a collaborative process involving consultation with members of
the profession in both the UK and internationally. All standards
are kept under constant review by PTUK's Executive and
Advisory Boards.
For brief introductions see:
Play Therapy Practice - A Systemic View
Providing a good standard of practice and care
Ethical System
Profession Structure Model
Clinical Governance
Click to Enlarge
For explanation
see above
All clients are entitled to good standards of practice and care from
their practitioners in play therapy, creative arts therapies, filial
play, child
psychotherapy and counselling. Good standards of practice and care
require professional competence (see the Profession Structure Model);
good relationships with clients and colleagues; clinical supervision;
commitment to and observance of professional ethics and the use of
clinical governance procedures.
|
All PTUK Practitioner Members
are required to work within the PTUK
Ethical
System |
|
The second version of this model was released in June 2003. It contains a competency framework
which can be used to:
-
Increase the understanding of the work
of therapists in detail - what do they do precisely? Does this meet the
organisation's or individual's needs?
-
Form the basis of identifying training
needs - what skills do therapists need to acquire?
-
Provide a basis to produce job
descriptions - what should a therapist be expected to do?
-
Enable performance appraisals to be
based on observable behaviours
|
 |
|
PTUK Practitioner Members are advised to use,
the Model. for career development planning.
Employers are recommended to apply the
principles to all therapeutic work with children. |
|
Clinical Governance
is a health profession term for quality management.
Clinical governance is based upon collecting
quantifiable measurements (normally pre and post therapy outcomes),
carefully analysing the data to detect both good and poor results and using
the conclusions to improve practice.
Clinical governance is sometimes referred to as practice based evidence,
which is equally, if not more important, than evidence based practice. |
 |
|
All PTUK Practitioner Members are strongly
advised to use an approved method of clinical governance. It is
mandatory for PTUK Trainees. |
